Tunnel mold-form.



H. B. LOXTERMAN.

TUNNEL MOLD FORM.

APPLICATION HLED FEB-5,191.6.

1,228,454. Patented June 5, 1917.

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H. B- LOXTERMAN.

TUNNEL MOLD FORM.

. q APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5 i916. 1,228A54; Patented June 5,1917.

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HOWARD B. LOXTERMAN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T0 BLAW STEEL CONSTRUCTION JERSEY.

COMPANY, OF I-IOIBOKEN, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW TUNNEL Morn-roan.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Application filed February 5, 1916. Serial No. 76,347.

To all whom it mayconcem:

Be it. known that I, HOWARD B. Lox'rnn- MAN, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Pittsburgh, inthe county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tunnel Mold-Forms, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to mold forms and more particularly tothat class of forms used in the construction of concrete lined tunnels,

, sewers, conduits, etc, and has for its princeiling and the side walls of the tunnel or cipal objects the provision of a mold form that is easily assembled and adjusted into operative position; the provlsion of a mold form comprising'a pair of cooperating forms which are adapted to form a portion of the conduit, and which are adapted to be moved away from the ceiling and side wall simultaneously; and such other objects as may hereinafter appear. One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is an end elevation of the mold form and Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the mold form showing the truck or traveler and the inside of one of the forms.

Referring to the drawings the apparatus comprises a pair of vertical wall forms 1 and 2, and a pair of ceiling forms 3 and t, and a pair of auxiliary wall forms 5 and 6 which are hinged to the main wall forms 1 and 2 at 7 by, means of a bolt which extends through hinge plates 8 which are bolted to the side forms in sucha manner thattheir free ends overlap. The purpose of having the auxiliary side forms hinged to the main forms will hereinafter appear.

The ceiling forms 3 and i are rigidly secured to the side forms 1 and 2 respectively, by means of the gusset plates 9 which are securely bolted to the side and ceiling forms. The side forms are made up of sheet metal which is reinforcedat thelends by vertical angles 10 and is reinforced longitudinally by horizontal angles 11 and 12. When the side forms areset in position the hinge sections 5 and 6 of the side forms. are brought into alinement with the main side forms at which time the longitudinal angles 12 abut one another. "The side forms are then rigidly held in place by means of bolts 13 which pass through the abutting webs of the angles 12.

adjuste'dinto and out of The completed mold forms which include a ceiling form and a side form, are separately supported upon a traveler or truck 14 which consists of longitudinal truck channels 15 secured together by transverse angles 16 between which is a vertically disposed gusset plate 17 To this gusset plate 17 is secured a vertical column comprising a pair of channels 18 which straddle the gusset plate 16 to which they are securely riveted or bolted. Between the channels 18 adjacent the upper ing wings projecting laterally from the vertical column which are adapted to support at their extreme ends the completed mold form. I i V The plates 3 and 4t forming the ceiling mold form, are reinforced adjacent their ends by angles 20', and such angles carry downwardly depending plates 21 which are adapted to overlap the projecting ends of the plate 19 carried by the traveler. Each plate 21 isprovided with a diagonally disposed slot 22 which is adapted to receive the bolt 23 which passes through the plate 19 and the plate 21. The bolt 23 is stationary with respect to the plate 19 and because of the diagonal position of the slot 22 it will be seen that if the ceiling mold form, which is attached to the plate 21, be drawn toward the center of the tunnel it will be forced downward by reason of the engagement of the walls of the slot 22 with the bolt 23. By making it possible to move the ceiling form downward at the same time that it is drawn toward the center of the tunnel the side form may be rigidly secured to the ceiling form, thus forming a unit which will mold a portion of the ceiling and the side of the tunnel. This rigid form of construction has a number of advantages over a form where the ceiling form is separate from the side form in that it is more rigid in construction and is much more quickly operative position and is easier to manipulate as a unit.

The space 24 between the ceiling forms is covered by means of a loose plate 25 which extends longitudinally the entire length of the form and permits of lateral movement of the ceiling forms, because it is in sliding engagement with them.

Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the forms are made up in sections, preferably five or six feet in length, and that the sec ends thereof, is the plate 19 hav- I tions are joined at their abutting ends. The trucks are made up in longer units, preferably of such length as to carry four lengths of mold section. The wheels 26 which are pivoted between the channels 15 are so disposed that they are located adjacent the center of each mold section, there being. a pair of wheels provided for each section.

It is sometimes preferable to operate the mold forms in still longer units in which case a plurality of trucks may be joined together by splicing the abutting ends of the channels 15 by means of splice plates 27. As shown in Fig. 2, the ends of the channels 15 are each provided with an auxiliary end channel 28 secured to the main channel 15 by means of the splice plate 27. These auxiliary channels 28 serve to support the end.- most transverse channels 16 and serve as a reinforcement for the plate 17. When it is desired to connect the abutting ends of a plurality of trucks these auxiliary channels 28 are removed so that the splice plate 2'? will overlap the abutting end of a main channel on the adjacent truck.

In operation, the central portion of the bottom of the tunnel is first molded by any convenient inverted mold and then timber rail foundations are put in comprising a transverse tie-timber 29 which is supported at its center upon vertical timbers 30. Rails 31 extend longitudinally of the tunnel upon which the wheels 26 may travel.

The form is first assembled upon the truck or traveler 1 1 and the forms drawn into their extreme collapsed position by means of'the turn buckles 32 which are secured at one end to the central plates 17 and at the other end to one of the hinge plates 8, and by a tie-rod and turn buckle 33 adjacent the top of the side forms which extends from one side mold form 1 to the other side form mold 2. After the form has been moved along the rails into the desired position for forming a section of the tunnel the turn buckles 32 and 33 are turned so as to move the side forms outward, this action resulting in the upward movement of the ceiling forms and the side forms with them, because of the engagement of the inclined slots 22 with the bolts 23. After the ceiling and side forms have been adjusted to their proper position ready to have concrete poured upon them, the filler plate 25 is adjusted so as to cover the space 24; between the ceilin forms 3 and 1. The hinged side mold sections 5 and 6 are then dropped into the position shown in Fig. 1 and the bolts 13 applied to the longitudinal angles 12. The lower ends of the hinged side forms 5 and 6 are. bent inward and the lower edges thereof are reinforced by longitudinal Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the angles 36. Longitudinal timbers 37 are placed between the angles 36 and the ends of the transverse timbers 29 which serve to support the side forms against downward movement, and at the same time to prevent the hinged sections 5 from springing inward.

After the concrete has become .set sufliciently to permit of the removal of the form the timbers or blocks 37 are first removed which permits the lower wall mold sections 5 and 6 to be swung inward so that the side forms 1 and 2 may be dropped without interference. The turn buckles 33 and 32-are then turned so as to draw the wall mold forms in, which action also draws the ceil ing mold forms 3 and 1 away from the ceil ing of the tunnel. After the forms have thus been withdrawn from the walls and ceiling of the tunnel a distance of a few inches the mold form is in condition to be advanced into the tunnel where it can be set up to form a new section thereof in the manner previously described.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the details of this construction with out departing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention is not limited to the specific means herein illustrated and described.

What I claim is:

1.- In combination in a tunnel mold form, a pair of rigid mold forms each adapted to form a side wall and a portion of the ceiling of the tunnel, and a support for the forms having slot and pin engagement with the forms, the said slots being inclined with respect to the horizontal and so arranged that when a form is drawn toward the support the form will be forced downward by the contact of the pin with the walls of the said slot.

2. In combination in a tunnel mold form, a pair of mold forms each adapted to form a side wall and a portion of the ceiling of the tunnel, a support for the form, plates connecting the forms with the support ex tending transversely of the axis of the forms and provided with inclined slots, and pins adapted to cooperate with the slots whereby theforms are drawn downward toward the support when the forms are drawn together laterally.

3. In combination in a tunnel mold form, a support, avpair of mold forms arranged on opposite sides of the support, plates extending transverselyofthe axis of the form for slidably connecting the forms to the support provided with inclined surfaces adapted to engage the support whereby the forms are forced downward when they are drawn toward one another laterally.

HOWARD B. LOXTERMAN.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

